It was now the second week of December in Aberdale, and in one Hospital room a young boy was comatose to a bed, several IV bags near him for keeping him alive. Around him was his step-father, his mother, and little step brother. All three were around him, the adults saying their prayers, and the young one looking on in hope that his brother would be alright.
The doctors have done everything in their power to secure the poor boy's deteriorating state. Yet understood that the parents' funds were running out and that the possibility of them continuously paying for his treatment and maintenance was less and less each month. Yet to the youngest in the group, all he had for his older brother was hope.
"It'll be alright, Wirt. When you wake up, I'll be here for you. We'll all be." Greg said with a sad look. "I'm sure you can beat that mean ol' beast." He punched the air for emphasis. The parents moved to the corner of the room to talk to the doctor privately.
"It's been almost a month...please, tell us he's getting better..." The mother sobbed.
"I'm sorry miss, we just don't see any sign of recuperation. We're doing the best we can, but it is as if his body is rejecting the majority of the treatments. His blood is darkening more and more every week...I don't know what else I can tell mam. I can only recommend you two things. Continue the payments to keep him alive, or..." He paused, unable to finish. The mother let out a loud wail of pain at the realization that her husband had to comfort her.
Greg, meanwhile, continued to talk to Wirt's near lifeless body.
Wirt and Beatrice didn't have a clue how long it had been since Ms. Langtree dropped the revelation of the Beast's biggest secret. Ever since, Wirt's attitude became completely focused on the mission. He rarely stopped, walked faster, and more often than not, when there was something in his way, he hacked it down with the axe. This worries Beatrice to no end. Although Wirt seemed more focused on what they had set out to do, she was afraid of the amount of rage Wirt emitted from his body.
They had the time to talk about it, but Wirt was too angry to talk about and Beatrice too afraid of him to bring it up. At a certain point, however, it began to snow. Not much at first, but Beatrice knew they had to stop to find or make somewhere to take cover.
"Wirt...we need to set camp." She said, Wirt continued to walk ahead of her.
"No, we're making good progress. I'm sure we're close to the Beast." He said.
"Wirt, you're not attached to the Beast anymore...you can't feel anything to it." She reasoned.
"I can feel it. We just need to keep going. Besides, there's nowhere we can take shelter." He frowned. Her eyebrows dipped at his response, and took hold of his arm.
"Then cut some branches and I'll cast a spell to start a fire and roof." She yelled as she went to snap several branches from the trees and stones to set a base for a fire.
"Tch." Wirt's lips smacked. He took to her orders and quickly chopped small tree after small tree until he made enough to that would serve to make a small 10 by 10 cabin. Beatrice looked at the Tome and cast a sort of psychic spell that rearranged the cut pieces of wood into a secure minor home for the night built around the fireplace.
After settling down around the fire and warming up, the snow outside became heavier and heavier. Beatrice sighed as she threw a twig into the fire to keep it alive. Wirt remaining stoic, looking into the flames with a deep hatred.
"It's not your fault." She said reassuringly.
"I was duped. I fell right into the Beast's trap." Wirt's brows dipped in anger.
"No, you couldn't have known. No one could have known." Beatrice reasoned.
"It was so obvious!" Wirt finally raised his voice, causing the flames to cower under his anger. "Why else would the Beast have offered the deal! Oh my god..." He looked at both his hands as his eyes began to secrete oil, replacing what should have been tears. "I had Greg in my arms...I could have blown out the light..." He began to sob. "All of this could have been over so easily!" He shrieked.
"Wirt! It's not your fault! Everyone made mistakes that we regret!" She shouted back.
"Easy for you to say!" Wirt looked back at her in anger. "Your mistake didn't get anyone killed!" He projected.
"You think it makes it any easier?! Having been the reason to have your family transformed into animals?!" She yelled back. "I'm trying to help you out here Wirt!"
"I know you are!" He stood up defensively.
"Then stop sulking and focus Wirt! You've done nothing but scare me since we left the schoolhouse." She finally admitted. Wirt paused as he looked at his red-headed friend.
"What are you talking about?" He asked, Beatrice took ahold of her arm.
"You...you haven't been yourself these last few...however long its been..." She said. "You've become distant...and I could just feel how your anger vibrated off you. You barely talk, and I'm positive we're lost because of it." She turned away from him. "I know you hate the Beast...I do too, but I don't want to lose you." She confessed. Suddenly she felt herself overly exposed. Wirt came to a realization of how he'd been acting.
"Beatrice...I'm sorry." He apologized, but she refused to look at him. This was one of the first times she truly opened up about something that bothered her, and whenever she did, she'd retreat into herself as a defense mechanism.
"Its...whatever Wirt." She sighed and laid down, her back to him.
"Beatrice..." Wirt approached her, almost putting his hand on her shoulder.
"Don't touch me..!" She blushed in embarrassment and defense. "Please, just leave me alone for now." She said quietly.
Wirt recoiled as she snapped at him and went to a corner in the small cabin and watched her back beyond the flames. Regretting having let another negative emotion control him and affecting those around seemed to be a pattern in him as of late. And he hated it.
The following morning, both teenagers abandoned the cabin and set out to find the Beast, when they happened upon a familiar boat.
"The ferry? Its still working in winter?" Wirt asked.
"It would seem so." Beatrice said stoically as she picked up to blades of grass and cast a transmutation spell that turned them into cents.
"That's *ahem*" His voice cracked as he attempted to make a joke. "Convenient." He finished awkwardly. She ignored him and walked ahead of him to get to the ferry and pay for their entry. He sighed, knowing she was still upset about the previous night. Even when they woke up, they hadn't talked much, just followed one another's lead.
After several moments of waiting for other passengers, the ferry began to move downstream, different frogs and toads having joined the ferry and accompaniment. Beatrice decided to go updeck and lay over the railing and stare at the clouded sun through the foggy clouds. Wirt being left on the main deck, with little to do.
All of a sudden, the musical frogs from their previous adventure showed up and began to play garden music that allowed the rest of the frogs cut into a a funny jig. He looked up to see Beatrice smile at the other passengers, but when her eyes met his, she averted herself. Wirt threw caution to the wind and decided to go walk up to her and talk. She hadn't moved from her spot and continued to admire the dancing animals and ignoring him all at once. Upon reaching her, Wirt cleared his throat and held his hand out to her.
"May I have this dance?" He said with nervous laughter. She looked at him, initially having a plain look on her freckled face, before cracking a smile of her own.
"Can you even dance?" She asked, looking at his mismatched shoe and boot.
"Well, not exactly, but I just gotta...not walk in place right?" He said, offering a weak grin. She scoffed in laughter and took his hand and rushed them below to the main deck where everyone was dancing. She placed his left hand on her hip, and held his right with her left, taking hold of his shoulder with her right.
"You're not wrong." She said as they began a slow waltz at the center of the deck. The musical notes serving as the surface upon when their feet would land, imperfectly in awkward unison that fit them perfectly.
"I'm sorry Beatrice." He said simply after a couple moments. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"I know Wirt...I'm sorry I snapped at you last night too." She offered in return. "I just...I lost you once...And this is the closest I've got to having you back for now...I just...wanted to keep you safe and with me until we solved all this." She closed the distance between then and laid her head on his shoulder. Wirt almost stopped dancing in place and placed his hand on her head. Their dance having turned into a hug and sway with two steps from side to side.
"Thank you Beatrice..." He said, hugging her in return. "For everything." They both instinctively re-positioned their heads so that their foreheads touched. They slowly opened their eyes and stared glassily into each other. Their heads mechanically tilting opposite of the other. Their lips slowly closing in on the other.
Suddenly, the entirety of the ferry shook and caused everyone to lose their balance.
"What happened?!" Beatrice yelled, completely ignoring their moment. Suddenly, as if something rammed into the ship from a different side of the ferry, it shook again. Wirt looked overboard and noticed that the Beast's undead creatures on rafts slammed on different sides and began to claw their way up the hull of the ship to get on board.
"Everyone get inside!" Wirt yelled and just as and undead reached the top, he wacked it with the back end of the axe.
"You guys!" Beatrice yelled at the security frogs with batons. "Do your job and do keep everyone else safe, don't let any of them on the ship!" She yelled as she cast a spell that caused the stern wheel to go faster in hopes of losing the undead.
On the outside of the ferry, in the river, those undead that weren't on the rafts, swam towards it in droves, appearing as schools of fish heading towards the ship.
The Beast, nearby, walking along the treeline with more of its undead, felt the presence of the undead that were attacking the ferry.
"Of course." It said as it began to move incredibly fast towards the river, with its best undead following suit.